RWBY: Grimm Awakening
by SonicNitro
Summary: A year has passed since Beacon's Fall, and Remnant is in turmoil. Follow the ventures of Rocky Marrone, Arian Gwynt, Sapphire Kishan and Phoenix Hendrix: Team RASP (RASPBERRY) as they journey west to Vacuo, only to discover Grimm never before seen and a plot from a long-forgotten organisation. To survive, they must overcome this threat, along with their inner fears.
1. Prologue

RWBY OC

Prologue

Life persists. And so hope does as well. These words Rocky Marrone picked up during his childhood and had carried them with him for most of his life. Years spent learning, training and fighting to prepare for more of the same but at a higher level at whatever Huntsman Academy he wished to apply for. His first school of choice would have Beacon Academy which lied on the eastern edges of the City of Vale. Known for its emphasis on teamwork and curriculum, it was the place to go to over all the other academies in Remnant. Rich, poor, Human or Faunus, everyone was welcome.

That was until a year ago, last fall. When the creatures of Grimm, the greatest enemy of Mankind, the reason why he and so many others wanted to become huntsmen and huntresses, had swarmed the Academy in a neverending tidal wave of death and destruction.

Now Rocky found himself here, on a dusty abandoned road many miles south of the Kingdom of Vale. He was on his way to his birthplace: Vacuo. And he wasn't alone either. Joining him on this journey were his closest friends from Signal Academy. Arian Gwynt: Faunus, you easily tell by the squirrel-like ears that jut out from her silver hair when she wasn't wearing her hood of the same colour. A very keen and quick learner and always sociable even when sometimes she can be nervous about certain subjects. Next was Saphire Kishan, originally from Mistral. She often kept to herself when Rocky first met her back at Signal Academy but was surprisingly very artistic in both painting and when fighting Grimm. Last was Phoenix Hendrix, the wildest member of their team. Witty and enthusiastic, his actions brimmed with an aura of passion and weren't afraid to speak to his mind, even if he did so without thinking and was also sometimes a bit of a hothead when provoked. And last, there was Riley, Rocky's four-legged companion. A sheepdog who has been with Rocky even before life at Signal Academy, he could count on him to follow him even to the ends of Remnant. Together minus Riley, they called themselves RASP or short for team Raspberry.

Standing between team Raspberry and their journey to Vacuo was a pack of Grimm. Rocky counted about eight Beowolfs. They all looked the same except for one of them, the Alpha of the pack stood out with additional spikes going down its spine. This one stayed back while the rest of the pack charged forth, their glowing red eyes showing nothing but malicious intent. Rocky stood his ground, readying his weapon, Ruptor Terrae – a long single-sided axe with a built-in pump-action shotgun. The perfect weapon for close quarter combat.

"Alright guys," Rocky began, "Time to put everything Tai taught us to use."

"Oh yeah!" Phoenix answered enthusiastically as he primed his weapon of choice; two golden gauntlets, each had a flame cannon top which allowed him to roast enemies form range. "time ta burn some Grimm."

"Arian and I got the ones of the left," Sapphire added as she presented her trident outward to the enemy.

"Yeah we can handle these," Arian followed, sliding an arrow coated in ice dust into her longbow.

Rocky looked down to his feet to find Riley standing next to him.

"You ready for this Riley?" he asked.

Riley only needed to bark one to confirm his readiness.

"Alright let's do this," Rocky pushed off his back foot and charged forward with his team toward the enemy. The first of the Beowolf pack came at him, claws stretched out and jaws wide open. Rocky swung his axe in an uppercut sweep, sending the Grimm over his head and slamming it into the ground behind him. The impact sent caused a little tremor in the ground, followed with the Beowolf's body disappearing before him. He turned and saw Riley fighting the next Beowolf, he was holding his own for a dog. He tainted the creature with his barking and was smart enough to keep out of the reach of its long arms and claws. Rocky closed in while the beast was distracted, he swung his weapon around and fired off two rounds from the gun attached. The first round went into the Beowolf's right shoulder, severing its arm off and the second round went into its head, the force sending it back a few metres before hitting the ground. A third one came rushing toward him and Riley. But before it could close in, the Beowolf was engulfed by a large fireball, it frantically howled and frantically swung it's arms around before collapsing to the ground. Rocky knew that fireball came from one of Pheonix's gauntlets. He turned around saw the hotshot leap forward punching another Beowolf in the jaw.

"Showoff!" Rocky called.

"Hey can't let you have all the fun bro!" Pheonix replied.

Rocky simply shook his head and smiled.

He turned to his left. Arian and Sapphire were holding their own against the other Grimm. Arian was busy toying one of the Beowolfs, keeping her distance every time it reached out for her. She turned around and ran toward a large pine tree. The Beowolf followed immediately. As she reached the tree, Arian leapt onto the trunk and climbed up quickly before she performed a summersault. Good timing, as the pursuing Beowolf dived for her, but ended up crashing headfirst into the tree. Halfway through the summersault, Arian pulled let loose an arrow tipped with lightning dust. It connected with the back of the Beowolf's head. The creature's body shook violently whilst its head was pinned to the tree before evaporating. Arian landed on both her, though a little off balance but least she didn't fall over.

Meanwhile Sapphire was busy playing with her foe. She was easily outmanoeuvring her Beowolf. By using her semblance, she turned herself into water and started encircling it. The Beowolf swung its claws furiously but couldn't catch her. Sapphire managed to get behind before turning back in her human form before sweeping the creature at it legs with her trident and followed it up with a jab to its chest.

Rocky gave Sapphire a thumbs up. Saphhire returned the favour, but her expression changed.

"Rocky look out!" she called.

Rocky turned around and saw the Alpha Beowolf leap out for him, knocking him to the ground. He found himself pinned, holding the Alpha Beowolf at bay with his weapon. The beast snapped away with his jaws.

"Do something Phoenix!" Rocky heard Arian call out.

"Can't get a shot without hurting Rocky," Phoenix replied.

At that point, Sapphire had rushed in to save Rocky, thrusting her trident down at the Beowolf's spikey back. It howled in anger as it tried to shake Sapphire off. Rocky felt the pressure on him lessen, he lifted a leg up and kicked the beast in the gut whilst it was occupied to free himself.

"Damn this one is tough," Sapphire just before the Beowolf finally tossed her aside. The girl landed a few metres on her shoulder, her aura flicker momentarily. The Beowolf turned its attention back at Rocky but then took a fireball to the face from Phoenix.

"Got ya now," said Phoenix.

The beast was momentarily blinded, giving Rocky the chance to retaliate. He got back to feet quickly. He swung his axe low and caught the Beowolf by its hind leg. The Alpha Beowolf landed on its back, Rocky swung again this time he drove his blade into the chest. The beast flailed about, Rocky fired a shell for good measure. The Alpha Beowolf went silent, its arms drop to the ground before the whole body evaporated away.

Rocky breathed a sigh of relief while Arian went to check on Sapphire.

"You ok? " she asked.

"I'm fine Arian," said Sapphire before turning her attention to Pheonix "You took your time to shoot."

"Hey hey, I didn't wanna risk roasting Rocky here," Phoenix replied putting his hands.

"Is everyone ok out there?" another voice through everyone's com bead. It came Jet, who was a few metres away at the wheel of Dixie, a big old school bus that been modified for travelling on rough terrain. Its yellow paint showed the vehicle's age with the odd patches of rust that had yet to be covered up. At the centre of its roof was a small machinegun turret that was reachable by the step ladder within. Anyone could man the weapon, but he along with everyone agreed to use it only in desperate situations to conserve ammunition.

"We're good Jet. The way is clear," Rocky replied.

"Good, let me drive up so you can hope in," said Jett.

"Well another day, another pack of Grimm slain," said Arian, there was a big smile across the Faunus girl's face that Rocky grin a little.

"But still we nowhere near Vacuo," Sapphire complained whilst rubbing her shoulder.

"Progress is still progress Sapphire," Rocky replied stoically, "Let's get on board and hopefully we'll somewhere good to camp."

Rocky stood and watched as the rest of his walked over to the bus when it close enough. He looked down at Riley, whoever the loyal companion remained by his aid panting away. Rocky knelt down and patted him on the head. "You did good today Riley", he said.

Riley gave a bark before reaching up and licking his face.

"Hey you two, its gonna get dark soon," Jett called out from his window.

"Coming," said Rocky.

Two hours later…

The crew were able to find a safe place to set up camp on top of a large cliff further down the path they were following, overlooking a huge valley filled with an endless sea of woodland. Jett was able to make a small fire with freshly chopped up wood provided by Rocky and the use of Phoenix's semblance, whilst Arian and Sapphire helped prep food.

It was now getting dark and everyone sat around the fireplace. Rocky used part of a tree trunk for a seat with Riley close by. They both were tucking a bowl of rice with added mushrooms, nuts and some venison meat. To his right was Arian, her head covered by her hoodie. She chose sat cross-legged on the grass. Phoenix and Sapphire were on the opposite side of the fire listening to Jett's stories.

Jett Noir was a tall, broad and muscular man. For a hairstyle, he had a short black mohawk that went from front to back, along with a beard of the same colour that split into two, resembling that of a two-pointed fork. He wore a dark blue flight suit which was from his previous career, flying as a pilot for the Atlesian military. After a few years of service and apparently some issues with the way the Kingdom of Atlas was run and its treatment its parent city Mantle, he decided to start again fresh in the Kingdom of a Vale. He had been up 'til now chauffeuring huntsmen and huntresses in training from Beacon Academy to assignments outside the city. During the battle for Beacon Academy, his transport was knocked out of the sky by a Nevermore. Luckily, he managed to make a safe crash landing in the city and survive the whole experience. He was in the middle of telling everyone about his latest mission before the fall.

"So it was 8 pm, I was picking up a team of junior huntsmen and huntresses who were assigned to safeguarding a village," he began, "When the sirens started clanging and we saw smoke coming from the city. Kids told me to head straight for the action."

"Did they have a cool name?" Arian asked whilst chewing her food.

"Why does matter?" Sapphire asked, "Only thing that matters is the name is a colour or makes you think of a colour."

"They called themselves JNPR, short for Juniper." Jett said, he paused to take a drink from his flask before continuing, "Interesting team they were, since most of them were from Mistral,"

"Mistral heh?" Phoenix asked, "You were from Mistral right Sapphire,"

Sapphire put a hand over face, "Ugh yes I was from Mistral. Can we just carry on with the story please?"

"Bad memories heh? Well, I saw the whole battle from the cockpit of my ship.

It was them coming to the rescue of another team that was already right in the heart of the action. Then came the Atlesian military. Quite the spectacle if you ask me."

"Hmph, yeah right," Phoenix scoffed and crossed his arms, "I'm pretty sure that battle would've been won without those dumb robots.,"

"Every little helps Phoenix," Arian replied.

"I'm surprised you're still fascinated by those things after what they did during…"

"But it's not the machines fault," Arian butted in, "Somebody must've hacked their systems. It has to be with that strange woman who took over the comms."

"Hmph, if you think you could a better job making those machines hack-proof why you are with us instead of heading over to Atlas."

"Are you serious Phoenix?" Arian rose to her feet, fists clenched, "You know as well I do that Atlas hasn't got the best attitude towards us Faunus."

"Well, it's better there than Mistral".

"They're both the same damn it!" Arian shouted.

At that point, Rocky put the empty bow down and stood up, "That's enough the both of you."

Riley gave a little a growl followed by a few barks. He too wasn't having any of this either.

"I think you two need to clear your heads before we carry on this crazy journey," Jett replied.

At that point, Arian scoffed and turned her back to the group.

"Where are you going? Sapphire asked.

"Just want some time alone in the bus," Arian replied before walking off.

Rocky sighed, "Nice going Phoenix."

"Man, what did I do?", Phoenix looked frustrated at Rocky, "I was saying that I don't trust them machines or whatever crap Atlas makes these days. And besides, wasn't this what the Faunus Revolution supposed to be about? Give them the right to live wherever they like?"

"It ain't that straightforward kid," Jett stated, "These things take time. You can't force people to treat others the same way they would like to be."

"I had friends in Mistral of Faunus origin," Sapphire added, "always picked on by normal kids as if they were worthless animals. It's sad really, I feel sorry for her."

An awkward silence fell upon the group. Everyone just stared into the campfire. The flames continue to burn. The wood acquired from the woodland

"I'll start washing up the bowls, Phoenix you can help me out."

"With what?" he asked.

"Can't wash dishes with cold water you know," Sapphire replied.

"Alright, I'm coming," Phoenix rose to his feet and followed Sapphire as she went around collecting all the bowls. They went around the back of the bus where a portable basin was placed along with a small lamp.

It was just now Rocky, Riley and Jett around the fireplace. Rocky looked at the former pilot, who was still staring uninterrupted at the fire. The flames glowed as they ascended upward and the wood acquired from the forest hissed and crackled underneath as the flames continued to reduce them to ash.

"I'm… I'm sorry about all that," Rocky began, "I didn't see that coming at all."

"Don't be kid," Jett replied, "It ain't your fault the world is what it is. Since Beacon's fall, it seems to be taking a turn for the worse and I feel like those who came before are to blame for it," he looked up from the fire at Rocky and asked, "Do you know what man's biggest enemy is?"

"The Creatures of Grimm?" Rocky answered. To him it made it sense to give this answer, since they were the reason why he wanted to become a huntsman, just like his mother and those who came before him.

"Nope," Jett replied blankly, "It is man… Man is its own worst enemy kid."

, look puzzled, he wasn't sure what to make of this statement. "But why?" he asked.

"Look back at our history Rocky. Remnant is full of events that we humans could've done better or avoided, but we didn't. was placed Then you have the more recent events like Mountain Glenn…" he paused for a moment and sighed heavily before continuing, "I had friends in that place. Was a nice place in the beginning. People moved in to set up shops and cafes, brought their families along with them. Then along came Merlot Industries, those bastards apparently were experimenting with Grimm and were always looking for more specimens. By the time people realised what they were doing, it was too late. All these events and the negativity they bring out attract Grimm like moths to a bright candle. Doesn't take a damn scientist to realise this, yet we continue to make the same mistakes."

"It's never too late to learn from these mistakes," Rocky replied.

Jett snorted, "The way things are going, its as if no one cares about the world's history. And if it continues like that, I don't think there'll be anyone left to do so."

Rocky resisted the urge to clench his fists. The conversation brought nothing but a growing sense of anger. He had spent most of his life surviving. He left Vacuo from a young age and journeyed to Vale. He thought his life would improve and in reality, they did. All that changed after the fall of Beacon. He was lost in his internal emotions until he something cold and wet touch his hand. He snapped out and looked to see Riley, his canine companion moaned softly. It was enough to make him let go of his internal rage. He kneeled down and stroked the back of Riley's neck.

"Think it's time we checked on Arian," said Rocky, he then looked at Jett, "I'll be back with Arian to patrol."

"Alright," Jett acknowledged and continued to stare at the fire.

Rocky stood up and headed for Dixie. He climbed up the steps and looked down the corridor. It was dark save for a little light at the far end. He walked down the corridor, passing rows of empty seats. Some of them had their bags and small boxes containing supplies for the journey. He stopped halfway down to look at one of the seats to check on his rucksack, there was a small neatly folded blanket was placed on the seat next to it. Satisfied that no-one had touched his things, he continued down the corridor. He found Arian at the end. The Faunus girl was wrapped in her blanket and her squirrel ears were covered up by her hood. She was holding her scroll with one hand whilst reading a book.

"Hey," Rocky started.

"Oh hey," Arian replied quietly.

"So what are you reading?" Rocky asked.

Arian put a finger in between the pages she was at as she closed the book and presented the title "The Man with Two Souls."

"Ah I heard of that," Rocky replied, "Never knew you were into sort of stuff."

"I'll lend it to you when I've finished it if you want," Arian offered.

"It's fine, I prefer comics personally. Pictures are worth a thousand words right?"

"Yeah," Arian chuckled, "I remember when Ruby was with us, we would swap comics and talk about our favourite stories."

"She was a heck of a storyteller," said Rocky.

"I wonder where she is right now?" Arian asked.

Rocky simply shrugged. He was almost in the dark as everyone else about Ruby Rose since Beacon. He decided to sit down on the seat opposite Arian. He opened his legs so that Riley could sit between them.

"Last I heard, her Uncle Qrow brought her back home. Then a few days later she took off with some other students. Weird you know."

"What's weird?" Arian look at Rocky curiously.

"Just that… You, me, Sapphire and Phoenix should be the ones applying to Beacon Academy before Ruby. Next thing we know, she's jumped the queue two years ahead of us."

"Yeah, I agree. But then, she is one of a kind. I mean… hunting monsters has been in her family, plus how many people can wield a scythe that also functions as a sniper rifle? That takes quite a lot of skill and strength to wield."

"Pff come on, my axe Ruptor Terrae is as heavy as her Crescent Rose if not heavier. No different."

"Is it?" Arian looked at him with a blank expression.

Rocky sighed, "Ah heck, its probably some special treatment. I mean both her parents along with her Uncle Qrow went to Beacon. Gotta be to do with some shady favours going on."

"That's not nice," Arian protested, "Tai would never put anyone ahead for transfer to any academy let alone Beacon unless he was confident, they would manage."

"So why weren't we picked to go with Ruby and Yang? Rocky asked, "Again it comes back to why doesn't it? Why her?"

"Are you jealous Rocky?" Arian asked.

Rocky didn't expect Arian to ask him this question, "Wha…what? I…", he took a deep breath before answering, "I don't know. Ok, maybe a little but I'm more surprised. None of it makes sense. If I were there, I would've been by her side."

"So would I," said Arian, "But we weren't ready then."

"I don't think she was ready either, for any of this," Rocky replied but with a lower voice, almost muttering. He lowered his head. He didn't know what else to say.

Arian leaned forward and a hand on his shoulder, "She's stronger than she looks Rocky and I'm sure Yang is on her way to find her. They'll have each other."

"Yeah, I hope you're right," said Rocky

"We need to focus on our team and get to Shade Academy."

"Shade Academy, Vacuo," Rocky muttered. He dreaded the day that he would return to his place of birth. "Are you still ok with this though?" He asked.

"It's not Beacon but…" Arian paused for a moment before she replied, "It should hopefully be better than Mistral or Atlas. And they say if you can survive out there, you're more than welcome there."

"Yeah true," Rocky admitted, "But you won't find any acorn trees out there, or anything that can bear nuts or fruit."

"I know. That's why I got a bag load right here," she pointed down to underneath her seat, where another bag was stowed. Rocky guessed that it contained her favourite types of nuts and other snacks she gathered before the journey began.

"Ever the hoarder," Rocky chuckled. He looked out of the window, Jett was still sitting by the fireplace and he assumed that Sapphire and Phoenix were on watch duty. While there haven't been any signs of Grimm close by. It was always a good idea to have someone on watch, especially when so far away from the Kingdom of Vale.

"Come on, some fresh air will do us some good," said Rocky. He rose to his feet and gestured to Riley to lead the way.

"Hey Rocky, can I ask you something?" Arian spoke again.

"Sure. What is it?" Rocky was curious.

"You know when we talked about where we wanted to go after Signal. You were the most reluctant about going back Vacuo. You never said why."

Rocky put a hand down his face and sighed, "It's a long personal story. Something I don't really wanna talk about at the moment. Short story, I hate sand."

Arian shook her head as she chuckled.

"Believe me," Rocky explained, "All you'll see in Vacuo is sand, sand, rocks here and there, some natural weather phenomenon that the natives have a special name for, Mole Crabs and… more sand."

"Ok you made your point," said Arian.

At that point, they heard Riley bark at them, he was waiting impatiently at the front of the bus for them. Rocky turned back to Arian and smiled, "Don't keep us waiting now," Rocky smiled.

"Ok," Arian returned the smile.

Satisfied with the conversation, Rocky turned around and headed back up the bus. He knew though, that at some point if not on this journey he would have to give Arian the whole story about why he left Vacuo. And why he was reluctant to do go back there.

But for now, he just wanted to get through the night and continue the journey tomorrow.


	2. Chapter 1

RWBY OC Chapter 1

8 years ago,

Shale, the Kingdom of Vacuo.

It was supposed to have just been another normal day in Shale for Rocky. Situated on the eastern coast in the Kingdom of Vacuo, the founders of Shale built their town around a small bay over a hundred years ago. It used to be as prosperous a place as the Capital of Vacuo itself, acting as a port town where the people could send and receive goods to and from the other kingdoms. That was until the kingdoms of Mistral and Mantle decided to take control of the place itself and use it as their base of operations for the mining that would over time strip away at the heartland of Vacuo itself. Hence, why everywhere you look outside of the town is a barren wasteland.

It didn't stop the people of Shale though. Even after the Great War, ships would enter and leave the harbour, bringing in people and goods from other parts of the world to trade. Rocky was with her mother strolling down to the local market place. His mother held onto one of Rocky's hands, whilst in the other, she held onto Riley's lead who like most young pups, he was experiencing a mixture of excitement and nervousness. He pulled on the lead from left and right whenever he got scent of a new smell.

Rhosyn, Rocky's mother was a very tall woman. Her long brown hair with strands of maroon reached down past her shoulders. She also had two braided strands within. She smiled confidently as she walked wearing a brown skirt that reached down to her sandals. For a top Rhosyn wore a sleeveless shirt with a cape that draped down her back, also brown. Strapped to her back was a long bag. Rocky knew what was inside it but felt the need to ask.

"Why do you have your weapon with you, mother?"

"A huntress never leaves home without her weapon, Rocky," She replied without even looking down at him. "You never know where you will find danger, whether here or in any of the other kingdoms."

"Even in Vale?" Rocky asked.

"Yes dear, even in Vale,"

Before Rocky was born, Rhosyn was a huntress. She trained at Shade Academy with other huntsman and huntresses like her, most were from the other tribes but there were occasionally students who had come from the other kingdoms like Vale. Rocky's mother had shown him pictures of the journeys she had all over Remnant.

"Mother," he asked again.

"Yes, Rocky?"

"What's it like in Vale?"

"Well in Vale, the city itself is very clean. There are buildings that reach up to the sky, and shops selling all sort of wonderful things. Outside the city, there is woodland in every direction."

"Woodlands, like Forever Fall and Emerald Forest?"

"Yes, Rocky. With trees of all shapes and colours, as far as the eye can see."

"Can we go to Vale?"

His mother paused for a moment, "Well, that depends on when I can get time off from work. And as long as you be a good boy until then."

"Can Riley can with us?"

"Oh, I don't know," she teased, "if he too behaves himself."

Riley looked at Rocky's mother when mentioned his name and barked. He then proceeded to dance in a circle, wagging his tail. Rocky chuckled at him whilst Rhosyn smiled. Her mood soon changed when she looked ahead and stopped. Her smile vanished, replaced by a frown. Rocky noticed this; he didn't understand why she stopped until he looked ahead.

A group of people were gathered one of the stalls, clad in white sleeveless jackets over black hoods and pants. Their faces were covered with masks that resembled that of Grimm, bone white and with strange slits where the eyes should be. Some of them were Faunus, displaying horns and ears that extend out from their hoods. They were harassing the keeper of the stall, another whose spiky brown hair resembled that of a hedgehog.

"White Fang," Rhosyn muttered.

"What's going on mother?" Rocky looked nervously.

Rhosyn let go of Rocky and gave him Riley's lead, "Stay here, you too,"

Rocky watched as her mother, fist clenched march toward the masked group.

"Oi!" she called out to them. The masked figures turned their heads to her as she approached them. "Is this how you treat your fellow Faunus?"

The leader of the group answered back, a wide rhino Faunus male with a long grey horn that curved out from his forehead, "This is our business Human,"

Rocky's mother stood her ground and stretched out her arms wide, "Well from where I'm standing, your business is kind of disturbing everyone else's business if you think about it."

"Years of abuse, mistreatment and being denied even simple services, yet he chooses shamelessly to provide for you?" the leader pointed to the hedgehog Faunus who was on his knees.

"Rhosyn!" he called, "They're accusing me of betraying my kind,"

"Silence you traitor!" the White Fang leader barked at him.

"It's alright Russel," Rhosyn called to him.

"So, you must be Rhosyn Marrone," said the White Fang leader, "The local hero everyone talks about, one of Shade Academy's finest huntresses. We've heard so much about you,"

"And I've heard a lot about you, White Fang," she replied coldly, "And I'll ask you again, is this how you treat your kind?"

"Only those who we see as traitors to our cause," the White fang leader replied, "serving you humans is a disgrace to us. None of you have a right to…"

"Don't talk to me about rights, you lunatic," Rhosyn answered back sharply, "I'm fully aware of man's treatment of Faunus over the decades. But answering mistreatment with violence won't get you very far."

"Ha," he chuckled, "It's served us far better than begging to be your equals."

The other White Fang members grinned and nodded in agreement with their leader.

"Look, I don't care what you think. Whatever it is you think you deserve; you have to earn it like everyone else, Human and Faunus are treated all the same here. I can't promise you everyone here will honour this, but I guarantee you'll have more enemies than friends if you carry on. So, I will ask you to leave before you cause any more trouble."

The White Fang leader snorted and spat before Rhosyn; the crowd that gathered were disgusted at the lack of respect shown by the White Fang.

"We are the White Fang! We don't take orders from humans. We outnumber you, do you want to risk your life for a traitor?"

"No," Rhosyn answered back, "the person before you is a good friend of mine, and I'm not having any of this." She pulled her battle axe from the bag and cocked the shotgun attachment ready. She gestured to Russel, the hedgehog Faunus rose to his feet and walked away from the circle. He joined Rocky and Riley who stood with the rest of the crowd.

"Coward," the White Fang leader muttered. He then gestured to his henchmen, they circled Rhosyn, drawing their weapons. Cutlass swords and pistols at the ready.

Rhosyn scoffed at him, "Typical mobster, sending your fodder to do your dirty work."

"Get her," the leader ordered.

The first White Fang henchman came at her, sword raised high. The huntress turned to the threat and rammed the butt of her weapon into his abdomen before kicking him away. Two more charged in whilst a third fired away with his pistol. Rhosyn spun Ruptor Terae around, deflecting the shots into one of the henchmen. She then rolled away from the other goon and fired a shot at him. The impact of the shotgun round at close range knocked the assailant a few metres away, his aura flickered a bright turquoise as he landed on his back.

Rocky cheered with the townsfolk for their hero, "Yeah, get them," he called out.

The henchman who fired the shots ditched his pistol and went in with his cutlass sword with a downward strike. Rhosyn parried the strike, she pushed him away. There was enough space for her to swing her axe at him. Two slashes and the henchman went down on the ground.

"Uh wait, please," the White Fang goon raised a hand and pleaded, "I didn't want any of this."

"Bit late to tell me that, you twit!" Rhosyn replied.

The henchman turned around and fled through the crowd. The huntress turned around, there was only the leader still standing.

"Idiots!" he clenched his teeth, "Can't even take down one human woman."

"I'm not just a woman, I am Rhosyn Marrone of Shade Academy and you've picked the wrong day for a fight mate."

The White Fang leader laughed, "On the contrary, I've been dying for a proper fight!" He pulled out his weapon, a massive crooked halberd with what appeared to be a skull hanging from one of the blade tips by threads. He pointed his blade out to Rhosyn then charged her. The huntress turned on the spot and dodged him. The brute went crashing into Russel's stall, various fruits rolled around the ground.

"Oi," Russel called out, annoyed at the destruction caused, "That's my fruit you just sent everywhere."

"Sorry Rus, sort it out later,"

The White Fang leader stumbled back to his feet, still clutching his weapon. He growled at Rhosyn, but instead of charging took a moment to compose himself. The two warriors circled each other. The air felt tense as the bystanders anticipated who would strike first. Some were cheering for Rhosyn.

They again approached each other at the same time. The halberd clashed and clanged with the axe, again and again until Rhosyn found an opening. She fired a shotgun round, splitting the halberd into half. The White Fang leader roared in frustration, he discarded his broken weapon in favour of hand to hand combat. He charged forth leading with his horn. Rhosyn dodged instinctively. Her opponent realised his mistake and turned on the spot for another attempt. This time he was lucky, the White Fang leader managed to knock Rhosyn's axe out of her hands. She was sent across the floor.

The crowd gasped at the sight. Rhosyn's golden brown aura flickered for a moment as she tried to get back up.

"Come on mother!" Rocky encouraged. Riley was barking mad.

The White Fang leader maintained his distance, stocking her. When she rose to her feet again, he wiped a boot on the ground before charging one final time.

"Look out!" Rocky cried.

But at the last second, Rhosyn clenched her fist upon seeing the enemy. She punched the ground before her and in less than a second, a big pillar of stone rose under the Faunus. The temporary structure sent the White Fang leader flying him in the air briefly before he crashed down hard on the ground. Everyone including Rocky was in awe, his mouth wide open in amazement. He had never seen his mother use her semblance before. It did the trick, for the White Fang leader's dark grey aura flickered then dissipated. Rhosyn walked over to him as he tried to sit up. She delivered a right fist to his face and he was out for good. The White Fang henchmen who recovered from the fight watched in disbelief. One by one, they retreated through the throng. Some of the townsfolk jeered and mocked them, whilst others cheered for the victor. Rhosyn walked over to pick up her axe and slung it back over her back.

Rocky and Riley along with Russel ran over to her.

"Mother," he called to her, "Was that your semblance?" he asked.

"Of course, it was," she replied.

Russel poked in, "Nicely done Rhosyn, I owe you one."

"Was going to buy some fruit off of you anyway," said Rhosyn

"Take as much as you like," Russel gestured, "You've earned them."

"Mother, can you show me how to do that?" Rocky asked.

"We'll have to see Rocky," Rhosyn replied, "not everyone gets the same semblance as their parents. Some are inherited."

"But that means I'll make stone pillars too, right?"

Rhosyn chuckled and rubbed her hand over his hair, "I'll help you find your semblance soon."

At that point, just when things could return to normal, a bell began to clang. Everyone looked to the source, it came from one of the watchtowers.

"Oh no," Rhosyn muttered.

"What is it, mother?" Rocky asked.

"Grimm," Russel said as he looked away from the tower, "And a bloody big one, look."

They turned toward the bay, from out of the depths rose a massive black mound, it was covered in sharp spikes. As it rose out of the water, more of its features were exposed, two circular eyes that glowed a hateful red along with eight long tentacles. Each one was lined with spikes.

"A Kraken," Rhosyn muttered in shock.

They watched as the Grimm swayed its tentacles in every direction, one of them caught hold of a ship trying to escape the harbour. Rather than crush the ship, the Kraken flung it at the town. People scattered in panic even before the ship flew overhead and crashed into several stone houses. And this monster wasn't the only one present. Moments later a swarm of Ravagers descended upon the town. Small yet numerous, they resembled bats with their red wings. They featured a bone-white rib cage over their bodies and spikes protruding from their backs. People ran in any direction away from the harbour as the Ravagers chased them down. Two of them dived down for the trio below, they ducked and Rhosyn managed to shoot one of them as they passed. The Ravager was struck in one of its wings, unable to maintain flight, it crashed onto the harbour stonework before disappearing.

"It's not safe," Russel panicked.

"No one will be safe here," Rhosyn turned to Russel, "here take Rocky and Riley to the shelters,"

"But Rhosyn," Russel protested, "You don't stand a chance…"

"I know what I'm doing Russel, just get my son to safety and your debt is repaid. Understood?"

"Y…Yes, I'll do that," Russel acknowledged.

"Mother what are you doing?" Rocky was confused.

"You have to go to the shelters now,"

"But mother…"

"Don't argue with me son," she cut him off, "Listen if anything happens to me. You must carry on without me. Stick with Russell, take Riley and go to the shelter."

"No mother please, I don't want to…"

"Please Rocky," she kisses Rocky on the forehead, "be strong, even when you're afraid. I love you son. Always. Now go."

"You heard your mom, gotta get going," Russel grabbed Rocky in one arm and held onto Riley's lead with the other.

"Let me go!" Rocky struggled to no avail. He watched as his mother turned away from them. Axe in hand, she rushed on into the maelstrom of terror.

"Mother!" Rocky called out to her, but she didn't stop to look back.

Russel ran with Rocky and Riley in toe until they reached his home, a stone house with a dome for a roof. Russel reached for a key in one of his pockets and unlocked the door.

He then put Rocky down, "Quickly, inside."

They rushed into his home; he locked the door behind him.

"I don't like this," Rocky complained.

"Neither do I, but we just got to sit tight."

Rocky didn't say anything, he sat on one of Russel's chairs. He brought his knees up to his chin. Riley paced back and forth whingeing away, whilst Russel went about shutting the blinds on his windows before sitting down on a chair next to Rocky.

Outside, the cries of people and monsters continued. Sounds of gunfire could be heard as well, evidence of people putting up a fight. Moments later, these were soon replaced by a new sound. The whole house shook as vibrations went through the furniture and any loose ornaments lounging around.

"What was that?" Rocky asked.

"Must've been an explosion," said Russel.

Afterwards, there was an eerie silence that left everyone on edge.

"Mother?" Rocky murmured, he then rushed for the door.

"Rocky, wait," Russel pleaded, "don't go outside!"

But the boy didn't listen, he unlocked the door and rushed out onto the street with Riley following him. Rocky found himself in an almost unfamiliar place. The air was hotter than normal. The streets were somehow blackened with what appeared to be ash. Rocky looked to the sky, to his surprise all the Ravagers were gone. He ran down the street toward the harbour.

When he got to the harbour, he found carts and market stalls, broken and turned over. Bits of wood and masonry littered this place that became a battlefield, sizzling with heat and steam. Soon other people came out from hiding, terrified and bemused at how quickly the battle came and went. Rocky glanced at everyone who showed themselves, but none of them were his mother.

"Mother!" he called out from the top of his lungs.

A few hours later, Rocky found himself sat at the edge of what remained of the docks. He and Russel searched the remains of the town, but Rhosyn was nowhere to be found. Some of the townsfolk who defended themselves from the Grimm attack said they saw her last charging at the Kraken, then there was an explosion, a temporary firestorm followed by a bright flash that engulfed the town. Purging Shale of the Grimm presence. No one who survived knew what became of Rhosyn, many presumed she perished in the fight with the Kraken. Only her weapon Ruptor Terrae was found on the beach where the battle took place. Rocky kept it close to him along with his backpack. Riley was with him, the young dog put his head on Rocky's knee and gave a lowly whinge, yet still wagged his tail ever so slightly. Rocky patted a hand on his companion's head.

He reached into the bag and pulled out a small book full of photos. Some were selfies of him, his mother and Riley, looking at them made him sobbed uncontrollably, he flipped the pages until he came upon a picture of Emerald Forest, followed by another picture. This one showed a long avenue that led toward what appeared to be in Rocky's mind a castle, where a large tower watched over the complex. There was writing at the bottom of the picture, the name of the place: Beacon Academy. His mother had shown him this pic many times before.

Footsteps plodded on the boardwalk, Rocky turned around and saw Russel approach until he towered over the two. Exhaustion betrayed the Faunus's whole face.

"Are you alright laddie?"

Rocky simply stared at him, tears still streaking down from each of his eyes.

"Uh right… of course, you're not. Sorry kiddo," he then proceeded to sit next to him. They stared out at the sea, watching as the waves swoosh back and forth gently. With it occasionally came pieces of wood, timber, even lifesaving rings, the remains of those ships that were unfortunately at dockside when the Kraken came to smash them into splinters. The colour of the sea soon went from light to a deep dark blue with the passing of the sun from east to west.

Rocky looked back at the picture of Beacon, remembering the promise that his mother made to him, followed by her last words 'if anything happens to me. You must carry on without me'.

He then turned to Russel, "Mother said we would one day go to Vale. I want to go there."

"Are you sure?" Russel asked.

"Yes. I want to go. I want to become a huntsman, like her."

Russel leaned back to ponder this request, then he replied, "Alright then, I know some friends in Vale who can help. I'll see if there's a ship still functional, we maybe have to travel to the next town on the coast to find one. But I gotta tell you, Rocky, this whole huntsman thing ain't for the faint of heart. They'll be plenty more hard times comin." He then rose to his feet, he stretched his arms upward to the sky, even going on his tiptoes to get the full effect.

Rocky wiped a tear from his cheeks and replied, "I want to do it. For my mother," he placed a hand on his mother's axe, stroking the weapon with his small hand.

Russel grinned, "Always knew you would want to become like your mother," he offered a hand to him, "Come on kiddo, let's go back to my place, have something to eat then rest. Tomorrow we will begin looking."

Rocky took Russel's hand and the Faunus pulled him up to his feet.

"Thank you," said Rocky.

"Don't mention it Rocky, I owe your mother anyway. And I intend on paying my debts."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Nothing but scattered clouds above as the group travelled west by southwest. Sapphire Kishan had expected a warmer climate the closer they got to Vacuo. The team woke up a few hours after sun rise. A brief breakfast and they were on the road again, or at least whatever could be recognised as a road out in this unexplored territory. They drove for a few hours with the sea on one side, and the mountains towering over them on the other, then stopped upon seeing what appeared to be a settlement ahead. Sapphire and Arian volunteered to scout ahead whilst Jet and the boys sorted out Dixie, the bus had been fine until the engine played up. Because Sapphire was no expert in mechanics, she left to everyone else to figure out what was wrong, she walked ahead, with Elegant Storm, her trident, slung behind her back at the ready. Her long black hair swayed gently with the light breeze; she could see what appeared to be a gateway with two towers that were taller than the woodlands that surrounded the settlement. Although the Kingdom of Vale had many settlements along the coastline, they never expanded this far southwest. Not since the Great War. The Great War…

Sapphire would frown whenever someone brought up anything about the conflict that took place eighty years ago. She could never understand why people would use the word 'Great' to describe it as anything but an act of ignorance toward the atrocities that were caused during those ten years of fighting. The kingdoms of Mistral and Mantel, versus Vale and Vacuo, fighting over not just territory, but over the right to the arts and self-expression. A kingdom without art, without self-expression, was nothing but an empty shell, that's what her parents said. Lives were lost, even towns were left vulnerable to the Grimm, many of them abandoned, never to be inhabited again. In the end, it was because of the actions of one person, the last King of Vale, who with sword in hand cut a path through his enemies that would end the war.

At that point, Sapphire was lost in thought, oblivious to the sound of footsteps behind her, then came a familiar voice.

"Hey, Sapphire!" She turned around and saw Arian, the faunas girl was running toward her. Sapphire sighed and decided to stop, allowing her team mate to catch up.

"Hey…" Arian stopped before her, panting, "Were you planning to go there alone?"

"I thought you would be helping the boys fix the bus?" Sapphire countered.

"Well, Jet and Rocky seemed to have an idea of what's wrong with it. The latter wanted me to go after you,"

"What about Phoenix?" Sapphire asked, she was surprised they didn't send him after her. For he was as clueless about machines than she was.

Arian shrugged, "I'm not one from backing away from fixing things but, as my mum used to say, too many chefs in the kitchen spoil the brew, right?"

"Yeah, that's true," said Sapphire, before she turned back to the path ahead, "Well, come on, this place isn't going to be investigated by itself. Who knows what we'll find here."

The two huntresses in training walked on together toward the town, the first thing they came upon was a sign covered in moss. Arian and Sapphire tore away at the undergrowth until they found the following message: 'Welcome to Emery'.

Next was the gateway and the two watchtowers. The former was left wide open, nothing more than logs of wood that had been rotting for quite some time. As for the towers, their frames were made from a combination of wood and metal. They seem have withstood the test of time far better than the gateway and the wooden palisade that surrounded the place. Though Sapphire noticed the one on the left was starting to lean a little outward. Won't be long before that tower came crashing down, thought Sapphire. Pushing through the gateway, the girls found themselves looking down an avenue, leading to the centre of Emery.

They were greeted left and right by buildings that were a few metres beneath the towers that guarded the town. Houses, a bakery, shops, even a tavern. Sapphire took note of the sign that still hung crookedly outside the tavern's door, 'The White Knight'. How noble she thought.

Arian was amazed, "Look at this place, there must've been a thriving community here at one point."

Sapphire nodded, "You'd have to be tough and smart in order to survive out here. This town was supposed to be a cross point between the kingdoms of Vale and Vacuo."

Arian tilted her head, "Such a shame, I wonder what the people were like."

Sapphire shrugged her shoulders "I would say they would be no different to us. Just people who wanted some distance but still wished to be part of their respective kingdoms. In the end, being so far away was what put the nail in their coffin when the Great War intensified."

"The war that ended over 80 years ago," said Arian. "I can't believe it all started because Mantle and Mistral wanted to stop people expressing their emotions."

"They didn't want to stop them, they just wanted to keep it more under control," Sapphire replied, at that point she stopped in her tracks when she noticed something on the ground, it was a small vase. When Sapphire picked it up, she studied the object. Painted in a dark red, the mouth of the vase was half chipped off and there more cracks at the base where her hand held it. On opposite sides were two beautifully etched white roses. A little lacquer and this vase would look good, if only she could find the missing broken piece, she thought. She was so taken by its design, that she didn't realise Arian was looking at her.

"Oh sorry," Sapphire jumped, "Just like the look of this."

Aria simply chuckled before something came to mind, "You know I'm surprised that Mistral followed suit."

Sapphire, "Followed suit?"

Aria "We were just talking about the Great War, right?"

Sapphire sighed, "Yes, so…"

Arian continued, "I mean Mistral was and is still leading the world in art and cultural expression to this very day, right? So, if you were Mistral, why would you give up something that makes your kingdom unique?"

Sapphire gave a small moan before replying, "I suppose to the Emperor at the time, art and self-expression were a luxury that belonged to the higher ups in Mistralian society. The fewer people allowed to indulge in them, the less negativity will be created by conflict and therefore fewer Grimm attacks."

Aria shook her head, "Nope, still don't see the point of it. People are going to get angry with each other over anything no matter what you do. Denying them the right to art and self-expression only makes things worse."

Sapphire simply sighed, there was no point arguing with that. Keeping your emotions bottled up for so long was never a good idea.

"Speaking of," Arian continued, "You were from Mistral, right?"

Oh no, Sapphire internally groaned, she knew where her friend was going next, "We should keep an…"

"Why did you come all the way from there to Vale?"

Sapphire couldn't take it anymore, "Arian!" she snapped back at her.

The sudden outburst made the faunus girl jump back a step, her squirrel ears pointed skyward in alarm. Arian's silver eyes widened in surprise.

An awkward silence followed; Sapphire stared at her friend before realising the tone she had used. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then she replied "Sorry, I didn't mean to break out like that."

Arian continued to look as she had seen a ghost, "Ummm."

Sapphire put a hand on her forehead and sighed, "Look, I'm not in the right mood to be talking about my past. Yeah, I was from Mistral originally. I had my reasons for coming to Vale, I…Just now is not the time to talk about it. Ok?"

Arian broke out of her spell at that point, "Yeah, I'm sorry Sapphire. I was just…"

"Curious?" Sapphire anticipated.

Arian put a hand to the back of her head, "Yeah."

"Its ok, I guess. You just need to be aware that some people prefer to keep some things to themselves."

Arian nodded, "You know you can talk to me and the others about anything. We're a team after all."

Sapphire smiled, "Thanks."

Arian grinned, then she spun around the spot before gesturing to Sapphire with the peace sign, which always made Sapphire to chuckle.

At that point, Sapphire felt a vibration and heard a buzz in hr trouser pocket. She pulled out her scroll, the device displayed Jet's name. She answered the call "Hey, what's up?"

"How's it going?" Jet replied over the scroll, "I hope you girls aren't too busy shopping now,"

"Very funny," Sapphire replied, "Nothing of value here, the folks who lived here probably took everything essential with them when things started going bad to worse."

"Ha, can't say I blame them," Jet chuckled, "Did you get the name of the town?"

"The sign says Emery"

"Ah, I think remember hearing about this place. Used to be a mining town but soon became a trade post between Vale and Vacuo before the Great War kicked off."

"Yeah so, how's the bus looking?" Sapphire asked.

"Just some dirt clogging one of Dixie's pipes, we're gonna start her up now. Any problems in town?"

"Nope nothing at all, guess all the Grimm that plagued this town moved on when they realised nobody's home."

"Hope it stays that way, I don't wanna be driving into another ambush."

Sapphire replied, "Understood, we'll carry on and find the exit to this place. Oh, and say hi to the boys for us,"

Jet replied, "Heh, roger that, see you in a bit"

Sapphire ended the call then looked at Arian, who was still grinning.

"Come on, we should get going," Sapphire pointed further down the avenue. "As nice as this place is, I don't want to be here for too long."

Arian nodded positively, though after a few steps, her mood soon changed. Sapphire noticed her nose twitching.

"Hey Sapphire, you smell something?" she asked.

Sapphire stopped and took a whiff of the air, before putting a hand over her nose, "Oh gods! Yeah and I really don't wanna know,"

Arian continued to sniff despite the revolting scent, "I think it's coming from over there, come on," she walked further down the street toward what appeared to be a chapel of some sort.

Sapphire was annoyed, "Really Arian? It could just be a corpse, or something." She followed her regardless.

"Whoa," Sapphire heard Arian say when she caught up. They stood outside the chapel doorway, staring down at a bubbly puddle that glowed a citrus green.

"Eww… what is this stuff?" Sapphire looked down repulsed.

Aria shrugged, "I don't know, maybe it's some kind of liquid dust? I'm going to take a sample," she proceeded to pull out a test tube from her backpack.

Sapphire stepped back from the puddle, "You have got to be kidding."

"It could be something useful. Come on. Where's your sense of curiosity?" Arian asked.

Fine, but you're sitting alone on the bus if you start to reek of that stuff, Sapphire thought.

Arian holds out a test tube with a small clipper ready to scoop the green slime. As soon the tube touched the substance however, it fizzed and melted. Aria immediately backed away, surprised at how much of the smoking tube remained.

"So much for that idea," said Sapphire.

Aria tilted her head, looking perplexed, "I don't think this is a natural substance. Where did it come from?"

It was Sapphire's turn to shrug, whilst still holding her nose, "Don't know, don't care. Let's just leave it Arian, it's not worth it."

Arian discarded the ruined tube and noticed a trail of the goop, "But there could be more of this stuff, look it came from inside there."

Sapphire reluctantly followed Arian into the chapel. The wooden flooring creaked with every footstep made. The first room which appeared to be the reception area showed nothing suspicious. The trail of goop lead to a double doorway. Sapphire reached for the handle, surprised that the doors were not locked, but were a bit stiff. She pushed both doors wide open. Upon entering the next room, Sapphire and Arian's eyes widened to find row upon row of barrels from their end, right up to where the altar would be placed. Even the benches between each row, however old or rotten had barrels placed sideways.

"Whoa," Arian's mouth dropped momentarily.

"Great, more of whatever this hazardous and smelly stuff is," Sapphire replied sarcastically. Despite her disdain for the substance, she approached one of the barrels when she noticed a symbol on the side of it. A cube with several circles jutting out in different directions, outlined in cyan.

Sapphire squinted, "Hmm, I don't recognise this logo," she looked at the next two barrels, realising that they all had the same one.

"I do," Arian stepped in," That's the logo of Merlot Industries. These barrels are their property."

Sapphire looked at Arian with curious eyes, "Merlot Industries?"

Arian continued, "Yeah, Jet mentioned them, remember? It was a high-tech research company before our time. Run by Dr Merlot himself, who was at one time a professor at Beacon Academy."

Sapphire asked, "How did you come upon this?"

Aria continued, "I talked more to Jet about it this morning while we were packing up. They went out of business after the fall of Mountain Glen, lost most of their chief staff. Apparently, Dr Merlot perished in the incident."

Sapphire smiled a little, "Jet sure is a font of information,"

Arian nodded, "Guess that's one of the benefits of being a pilot, chauffeuring huntsman and huntresses across the kingdom. I asked him if he'll show me how to fly one day."

Sapphire raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

Aria replied, "Might come in handy, if we ever get a ship of our own."

"Going back to this… If Dr Merlot is dead, then why are there barrels with his company symbol stored here of all places?"

Aria shrugged, "Don't know, maybe he needed space to store additional material?"

Sapphire put a hands on her hips, "In a mining town that's been abandoned since the Great War? Sounds like he was hiding something other than this goop. These barrels look like they been only been here recently."

Aria scratched her chin, "Yeah, you're right, we should tell the others."

Sapphire nodded "They shouldn't be long entering the town. Come on,"

"Hold on, I'm taking this as evidence," Arian tapped her scroll and retracted it from her left wrist. Whereas everyone else carried their scrolls in pockets, she kept hers attached to a device she made herself back in Signal Academy. It allowed her to clip her scroll to her wrist so she could access it more efficiently. She stood by one of the barrels and took a photo of it, then she stood back to capture all of the barrels in the room. Ever the techie, Sapphire thought. Her knowledge of technology as well as her archery skills made Arian Gwynt a valuable member of team RASP. Seeing the faunus girl direct her curiosity at this strange phenomenon made Sapphire forget about the questions she had raised about her upbringing. But Sapphire knew she would eventually have to open up about her painful past and how she ended up in Vale. Just not here, not yet.

Once the evidence was collected, Sapphire made her way out of the chapel with Arian close by. Just then she heard something. She looked down at the ground and noticed a roof tile had just cracked on landing. She looked back at the chapel, Arian was just about to walk through the doorway, but something else alerted Sapphire. Crouched on top of the archway was a Beowolf waiting for them. It leaped forth, claws and mouth wide, aiming for Arian.

"Arian, behind you!" in split second, she turned herself into pure water before shooting out toward Arian. The faunus girl looked behind her and was paralysed seeing the Beowulf diving for her. Sapphire turned back to human form just in time, pushing her friend out of harms way. Arian rolled away. Sapphire saved her, but now the Beowulf was on top of her. The beast had her pinned by the arms.

"Sapphire!" Arian called,

"Argh, don't worry," Sapphire replied just as the Beowulf opened its mouth, showing off its many hideously sharp teeth.

Before the thing could take a bite of her head, Sapphire, changed back into water. She teleported herself a few metres away. Upon changing back, Sapphire noticed something was different about this Grimm. It was larger than the Alpha Beowulf they had faced before. No, it wasn't its size that troubled her, its eyes along with the unusual number of spikes that jutted out from its back were of the same green colour as the mysterious liquid Sapphire and Arian had just discovered in contrast to the usual blood red of normal Grimm. It was as if this beast was somehow modified or mutated, evolved into something more menacing.

Eager for blood, the Beowulf charged forth on its hind legs. One after the other the beast swung its massive claws in a fast sweeping motion toward Sapphire. No way am I going to beat this thing from the front, Sapphire thought. She backed away a few steps before she rolled to one side. The mutated Beowolf ended up crashing into another abandoned building. The force of the collision sent brickwork and ancient pottery flying along with dust everywhere.

"Geez," Sapphire gasped, realising how much stronger this monster was.

She looked up and saw the silhouette of the beast amongst the smoke. It walked out of the destroyed building with hardly a scratch. The beast growled at her. It was about to strike again when a single arrow struck it on the shoulder, the growl turned into an annoyed grunt. Sapphire looked and saw Arian poached on the rooftop of another house, bow out and readying another arrow.

"What are you waiting for?" Arian called out, "strike it!"

Unfortunately, the mutated Beowolf realised where the arrow came from, it turned its head toward Arian. Deciding to the take her out first.

"Oh no you don't!" Sapphire muttered as she pulled out Elegant Storm. She rushed forth as the Beowolf showed its spikey back to her. To avoid getting herself impaled on these, she rotated her trident just before she leaped on her front foot. Success, she managed to fix the prongs of her weapon into the creatures back without getting herself impaled.

Frustrated and in pain, the mutated Beowulf swung itself back and forth to dislodge her. Sapphire held on to her trident for as long she could, whilst Arian shot another arrow which unfortunately missed. At that point, Sapphire couldn't hold on any longer, she rolled along the cobbled pavement and onto one knee. Her weapon was unfortunately still stuck in the monster's back until it managed to pluck it out and toss it aside.

"Shoot!" Sapphire cursed, she was now staring at the abomination without her weapon.

"Lure it back to the chapel!" she heard Arian shout.

"What?" she called.

"Just do it, quick!" The faunus girl replied as she jumped to another.

"Alright," Sapphire muttered as the Beowulf made another attack, sweeping one claw after the other. She barely had time to change into water again to dodge. She circled around the monster before reforming, where she then taunted it with her hand. The mutated Grimm charged again, opting to cover the distance on all fours. Sapphire risked a glance; the chapel was behind her. She stood her ground.

"Come on," she said under her breath. Once close enough, the monster leaped at her, claws out and mouth wide open. At the last second, she turned herself into water and travelled over the Beowulf's head, landing feet first on the ground. She watched the mutated Beowulf crash into the chapel. At that point, Arian let loose another arrow. An explosion soon followed. Citrus green mixed with orange and fiery red. Tiles and pieces of brickwork flew out in every direction. A chunk of brickwork sent Sapphire back before she could respond. She rolled along the ground, her aura flickered, almost breaking. She used most of her aura in semblance to outmanoeuvre the Beowulf.

"Sapphire!" Arian called out, she rushed over to her, "I'm sorry."

Sapphire coughed, "Geez Arian, you used a fire arrow, didn't you?"

"I imagined that goop was flammable," Arian admitted, "Didn't think it would be that big a bang."

Rather than get angry with her, Sapphire looked up at her friend and smiled, "Just a little warning next time you try something like that, ok?"

Arian nodded, she lent Sapphire a hand and pulled her up.

"You think we got it?" Sapphire asked.

"No way could even a Grimm survive that," Arian stated.

At that point however, the huntreeses heard a howl. They looked down one of the streets, another mutated Beowulf had appeared and it wasn't alone. Behind it were a pack of regular Beowulfs along with some creeps, all chomping for the kill.

Sapphire grunted, "Should've saved that explosion for them."

"Yeah true," said Arian as she placed another arrow into her bow.

"We won't last, there's too many," coughed Sapphire.

A sound of a horn blew. Out from nowhere came Dixie, Jet was driving the bus at full speed, with Rocky hanging from a window with his weapon in hand, whilst Phoenix commandeered the turret. The bus went head on into the mutated Beowulf and kept going until it rammed the monster into an abandoned house. Rocky finished it off with a well-aimed round to the head, whilst Phoenix unleashed a barrage on the regular Grimm.

"Holy cow!" Arian gasped.

"Geez," Sapphire was wide mouthed.

When the mutated monster had evaporated, Jett pulled Dixie away from the wrecked building. The front of the bus was dented as a result of the impact. Rocky and Riley jumped out and to join them.

"Hey you girls ok?" he asked.

"We're fine," said Sapphire shouted over the machine gunfire.

"We were about to call you when we saw the explosion."

"That was me!" Arian confessed.

"Seriously?" Rocky looked surprised, "What did you find here?"

"We'll explain later," Sapphire coughed and spat something out.

"Duck!" Arian shouted as she let loose an arrow, it landed in the chest of a Beowulf that somehow bypassed Phoenix and the bus and opted for easier prey.

"Nice shot," said Rocky.

At that point, Phoenix's barrage stopped, a sign there were no more Grimm in the vicinity. He noticed everyone else when he rotated the turret in their direction.

"Yo!" he called out.

"You guys took your sweet time," Sapphire replied.

"And here I thought we weren't going to run into trouble," said Jett who popped out to inspect the damage to Dixie.

"That was quite a gung-ho like approach," Arian commented.

"Huh yeah well, you wanted a knight in shining armour, there you go." was his reply.

Sapphire rolled her eyes, she then looked around for her trident. She saw it further down the street. She walked toward her weapon, whilst Arian informed the gang about what they discovered. She was about to pick Elegant Storm up when she heard a whistling sound.

"Hey, what the…" said Arian.

"We're being… argh" Rocky followed.

Sapphire turned on the spot. Her eyes widened upon seeing her friends on the ground. "No no…" she murmured. She grabbed her trident and rushed to them. Another whistling sound followed when something hit her in the shoulder. It was a dart. She plucked it out and looked at it. Next thing, her vision became distorted, her hands, when she looked down at them were shaking. She tried to walk on but was getting weaker, eventually letting her weapon drop to the ground. Sapphire fell down to her knees. In the distance, she saw strange figures approach her friends. They were like the silhouettes of one's shadows. One was approaching her, but she could do nothing to oppose it.

Her eyes were closing; it was becoming impossible to keep them open. Eventually she fell to the floor. Out for the count.

8


End file.
